Goodbye! CBA top pick! Major move to join Japanese league

Well, how unusual~

A well-known domestic basketball platform reports:Zhao Baiqing has decided to play in the Japanese league for one season...

This guy was born on December 19, 1998, is a forward with a height of 2.05m and a wingspan of 2.07m, the 2021 CBA top pick, has played for the Tongxi team for five seasons, with stats as follows:

Regular season averages of 26.8 minutes, contributing 11.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1 assist, with shooting percentages of 52.7%, 38.4%, and 73.2%;

Playoff averages of 24.5 minutes, scoring 8.5 points and 4 rebounds, with shooting percentages of 30.8%, 20%, and 100%.

In fact, Tongxi intended to retain Zhao Baiqing by offering a D-class maximum contract, but the quoted annual salary was 1.5 million before tax, which left him quite dissatisfied; domestic media sources revealed that the Japanese B-League team Akita Northern Happinets offered Zhao Baiqing a post-tax annual salary three times that of Tongxi.

By the way, according to the rules, if Tongxi offers Zhao a maximum contract renewal, they can forcibly keep him, meaning he cannot freely join another CBA team. So the only way to leave Tongxi is to join an overseas league. Moreover, as mentioned, the Japanese league team offered excellent terms, so this can be considered a "blessing in disguise."

Tongxi also offered a maximum contract to Guo Haowen, reportedly for three years with an annual salary of 6 million, showing their utmost sincerity.

Guo Haowen is now 26 years old, a swingman standing 2.03m tall. Last season, he became the local scoring champion, averaging 20.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game in the regular season, with shooting percentages of 43.1%, 32.8%, and 79.1%. Before Lin Wei returned, he was the face of Tongxi, so naturally his contract renewal amount was not discounted.

It is worth noting that in mid-March this year, Zhao Baiqing and Guo Haowen had a heated confrontation on the court in front of a national live broadcast. It seems Tongxi has already made a choice between the two through their actions, and of course, this was an easy decision.

Finally, best wishes to Zhao Baiqing as he brings his talent to the Japanese league as an Asian import. He can earn more money and also challenge himself in a new environment—truly a win-win situation.